Beaufort keeps party rocking with water festival

DAVID ROBERTS

Wednesday

Jul 17, 2013 at 12:17 AM

There is one 10-day period circled on every calendar in Beaufort County. Vacation days are saved exclusively for the end of July, as they are every year. The kids are out of school and the summer weather beckons residents to spend their days by the river.

This period is known as the Beaufort Water Festival, and it begins Friday at Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park.

Running strong for 58 years, the Beaufort Water Festival offers families a chance to spend their time in the true Lowcountry fashion: By the water. It one reason thousands of tourists flock to the area and Beaufort businesses flourish around this time each year.

"When people come into our area, whether they're local or whether they're from afar, they come into town and eat in our restaurants," said Robb Wells, tourism division executive at the Beaufort Regional Chamber of Commerce.

Beaufort officials say the festival has an impact on the town's restaurants, hotels and downtown businesses, though they keep no data on its economic effect and the number of tourists who attend. Wells said the chamber plans to track the festival's financial impact in the future, though he did not specify a start date.

"We are looking into developing that research model," Wells said.

"When you have an event that is on such a large scale, like the Beaufort Water Festival, it's not a one-day shot," he said. "That is one of the benefits that the Beaufort Water Festival brings - (tourists) sustain visitation for a long period of time."

Paul Donella, executive chef at Panini's Cafe on the Beaufort waterfront, said his restaurant sees a jump in sales during the water festival.

"It's a great boost. I mean, it really is a significant increase in sales for the month," Donella said. "We can see as much as a 30-percent increase for the month."

Reuniting 'old Beaufort'

The city typically expects about 50,000 people to attend the festival, which runs Friday to July 28. The volunteer-run festival features nightly concerts in the park, athletic competitions, and an ongoing arts and crafts fair among other events.

Beaufort Mayor Billy Keyserling said the city's hotels and restaurants see more financial benefit than any other industry during the festival.

For Keyserling, who grew up in Beaufort, and his fellow citizens, the true meaning of the festival adds up to more than dollars and cents.

The festival began in 1956 as a three-day event featuring a parade, a water-skiing competition and a beauty contest where girls from all over the state attempted to become the Queen of the Sea Islands.

Over the years, the festival has expanded, evolving into the current 10-day event thousands of people look forward to each year. Keyserling said it has a powerful meaning for Beaufort residents.

"It's a period where lots and lots of natives, some of which are who you don't see on a daily basis, gather together," Keyserling said. "The water festival really brings a lot of old Beaufort back together. I might see someone who I haven't seen since the last water festival, or someone who I went to school with, or who I worked in a tomato-packing house with as a kid, or someone who I used to play ball with."

Taste of local culture

One of the unique aspects of the festival, according to Beaufort City Manager Scott Dadson, is that it gives tourists a chance to experience Lowcountry culture firsthand.

Much of Lowcountry life, especially in the summer, is centered on water. It is only natural the festival takes place by the water and events like Saturday's raft races and Dragon Boat Race Day are held in the water. Nightly concerts provide examples of Lowcountry entertainment, like beach music and country music.

"The fact that a group of people can pull off an event this in the middle of the heat of the summer, with the number of people who come and enjoy it, I think is an amazing thing," Dadson said. "And it's purely attributed to the fact that they are a great group of volunteers, and a great group of people who are dedicated to doing that."

The Beaufort Water Festival is a Lowcountry party that has not stopped for 58 years, and has no end in sight.

"The Beaufort Water Festival always has been, and always will be an excellent representative of the good people of this community and how they come together and do things," Dadson said. "It's truly a part of the city and this community."

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